ESD 7 gets land for joint police, fire station in Roman Forest

Melanie Feuk

Published 8:41 am, Tuesday, September 20, 2016

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Roman Forest Police Chief Stephen Carlisle addresses the Public Utility District 3 board regarding the transfer of land for a new multi-use facility during a special meeting at Roman Forest City Hall Sept. 19.

Roman Forest Police Chief Stephen Carlisle addresses the Public Utility District 3 board regarding the transfer of land for a new multi-use facility during a special meeting at Roman Forest City Hall Sept. 19.

ESD 7 gets land for joint police, fire station in Roman Forest

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Montgomery County Emergency Service District 7 has been given three lots of land in the city of Roman Forest, courtesy of Roman Forest Public Utility District 3, for the site of a new joint facility for the Roman Forest Police Department and Fire Department 152.

The decision to transfer ownership of the approximately one-and-a-half acres was approved during a PUD 3 special meeting held at Roman Forest City Hall Sept. 19.

“The police and fire department share a lot of things in common,” Roman Forest Police Chief Stephen Carlisle said. “We’ll be able to share a lot of things in the new multi-use facility such as a training room, locker rooms, kitchen and a common area. This will result in costs savings because we’ll be sharing resources instead of duplicating them.”

The land is at the intersection of Roman Forest Boulevard and Galaxy Boulevard in Roman Forest Section 4 and was transferred at no cost to ESD 7.

The Roman Forest Police Department is currently located at City Hall, 2430 Roman Forest Blvd., and Fire Department 152 is located west of Peach Creek on Roman Forest Boulevard.

Preliminary plans had the facility site located adjacent to city hall; however, the new location on the donated lots will still be east of Peach Creek, which will still better serve the residents of Roman Forest than the location of the existing fire station 152.

“The new facility’s location will improve response time to that area,” Carlisle said. “Another reason it will be strategically in a better place on the other side of the creek is that it will allow the fire department to access residences during major flooding events.”

The city of Roman Forest police department and ESD 7 are working together to obtain grants to cover the cost of constructing the approximately 13,000 square-foot facility.

City council authorized the Roman Forest police and fire departments to hire a grant writer for the purpose of funding the facility at a meeting in early August.

Initially, the cost of the project was estimated at roughly $3.5 million, which Carlisle said was an overestimate. They are now estimating the cost of the project at $1.5 million.

The project’s timeline hinges on acquiring 100 percent of the funding, but Carlisle hopes the process can be complete within a year-and-a-half.